Emmanuel Bouchet is almost a secret name in the world of high horology. But to those who know, he brings an interesting fusion of creativity, traditional craftsmanship and avant-garde innovation. We met with a collector recently, who bought a his-hers pair from Emmanuel, both piece uniques. But both based on the Emmanuel Bouchet existing catalog – the Complications One or the EB01 and the EB02. Here are the original photographs and our impressions.

Emmanuel Bouchet – the man

Emmanuel first burst into the horology scene, albeit in the quietest way possible, when he created the Opus 12 for Harry Winston. The watch features a very innovative mechanism of flipping indices, which perhaps does not add any functionality to the watch, nevertheless is a spectacle to witness.

Emmanuel co-founded the maison Centagora, who are one of the go-to places for the industry to solve issues in production, commercialisation and development of watches.

Born into watchmaking, Emmanuel Bouchet is one of the greatest elite watchmakers in the world, having produced timepieces for the world’s most prestigious watch brands.

Through his own brand, he launched the Complication One, which is being featured here

Emmanuel Bouchet Complication One EB01

The Complication One is not really a complication in the strictest sense. The watch certainly is complicated, as it shows the hours and minutes in a regulator style separate subdials. The hours are displayed on a sub-dial at 8, while the minutes are shown on another sub-dial at 4. But the minutes sub-dial are designed to tell the minute using two jumping hands. One reading the 10s of minutes is also retrograde, and the other hand reads the minutes after. A seconds hand adorn the watch at 12. A day-night indicator is shown on another sapphire disc below the seconds disc.

The subdials are in sapphire discs arrranged to appear to float in space over the white dial base.

Time: 4:29.

The entire watch is open to show the movement on the dial side. The regulating organ oscillates at 21,600 bph, making it possible for the wearer to observe in detail the inner working of the mechanism. We note that the watch carries two escapement wheels, stacked one on top of the other in the center of the dial, and perhaps this might qualify as a complication.

In this piece unique, the case is annodised blue, with blue tipped hands. The companion piece, the EB02 is also delivered in a similarly annodised blue case. Both the watches do not carry a serial number, but the name of the owner engraved on the movement.

The movement features double barrels, to provide 55 hours of power reserve. (Incidentally, the Bouchet webpage states 72 hours) A hand on the reverse of the watch is used to show the power reserve.

Interestingly, one barrel drives the going train to the escape wheel. The escapement is a free sprung balance on a Breguet type overcoil. The second barrel keeps the transmission escapement on the dial under tension. This escapement snaps forward every 15s. Emmanuel says this is to animate what goes on with the other escapement five times every second.

This second escapement uses the center wheel of the main movement train to turn an elliptical triangle. The triangle turns the lever fork on the dial, swinging it aside every 15s to unlock and lock the double escape wheel. However, we note that this is not a remontoire as it is not lie within the power flow of the movement.

Emmanuel Bouchet EB02

The EB02 is a simpler watch. The EB02 is automatic, featuring a micro-rotor. The design calls for the time to be displayed off-axis, and the EB89F movement is exclusively designed for the EB02.

The sapphire sub-dials follow the DNA of the EB01 with its floating appearance. The sub-dial at 12 indicates the hours and minutes in the conventional manner. And another off-centered disc displays the sweep seconds above the day-night indicator.

On the dial are three pillars in which are set three diamonds, arranged to symbolise the cones of the brands without the claws.